Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is one of the most controversial classics of all time. It is considered as one of the toughest reads because believe me, it requires all your time and effort. With a whopping 1000 pages and eight parts, Anna Karenina talks about how a sophisticated young woman decides to follow her passion and dreams without a care in the world. It is a tale of love, marriage, duty, passion, adultery, faith, selfishness, and happiness. As they say, Tolstoy wrote this book
The first time I read Anna Karenina was during my college days. There was a book fair conducted near my home and I remember my Grandma giving me a thousand rupees to splurge on books. 1000 rupees back in those days was a pretty big deal. My Mom helped me choose some amazing books including Anna Karenina.
Today as I write this post, I ask Mom what she remembers about Anna. She fondly recalls Anna’s strong personality. “Anna is considered to be too beautiful to be true”, she says. “I remember visiting a Russian theatre as part of my M.A. Literature class and boy was I blown away! It is considered a classic for a reason.”
The famous opening line:
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Anna is married off at the age of eighteen to the considerably older (twenty years!) Alexei Karenin. She appears to be a vivacious, carefree young woman but is in a loveless marriage. She dutifully produced a son for him and settled into a life of social events and extravagance. There is no burning passion between them and she often feels that he is like a ‘machine‘. Her only comfort is her son Seryozha.
”They say he’s a religious, moral, honest, intelligent man; but they don’t see what I’ve seen. They don’t know how he has been stifling my life for eight years, stifling everything that was alive in me, but he never once even thought that I was a living woman who needed love.
The fateful meeting with Count Alexei Vronsky, a military man changes her life. Her infatuation with Vronsky deepens and intensifies as the two falls in love. She discovers what she was missing all her life – love coupled with passion.
“I’ve always loved you, and when you love someone, you love the whole person, just as he or she is, and not as you would like them to be.”
To an outsider, Anna Karenina is about a woman’s infidelity as she carries out an adulterous affair. But there is so much more to it.
Anna is bound by honor and duty to her husband and she is also guilty of having an affair with Vronsky. However, she is sure of her feelings for the latter and in effect, her chance for love and life. She is torn between wronging her husband, of the consequences of her action on her loving son and the love she has for Vronsky. Thus, she refuses the divorce from her husband and accepts to be humiliated and ridiculed by society as an ‘immoral‘ woman.
“Sometimes she did not know what she feared, what she desired: whether she feared or desired what had been or what would be, and precisely what she desired, she did not know.”
Why Anna Karenina has my Heart
What I love most about Anna Karenina is Tolstoy’s portrayal of her. Anna Karenina was destructive. She was jealous, paranoid, vengeful, happy and unhappy. Yet, you cannot fully condemn her because she is very much human. She chose what she thought was happiness (irrespective of how things ended which is outright tragic. Oh no, Tolstoy!) and I think, we all feel and act that way at some point in life.
Anna Karenina is not of her time. She lived in the 1870’s society that gave women no rights and women were forced to behave as such. Because we live in a world where women have much more freedom, it doesn’t mean that we can translate those feelings to women of different ages or cultures. She does many questionable things but reacted the best within her circumstances.
But ultimately, all she did was sacrifice everything to chase a dream.
“The dream ate her.
Anna Karenina is one of my absolute favorite books for its heartbreaking plot twists, brilliant vocabulary, and poetic style. Tolstoy’s writing is beyond the times with elements of a whirlwind affair, infidelity, societal pressure, a nasty divorce, a man questioning his spirituality, and a woman questioning her mental state. Though the passion and complexity of relationships are much better portrayed in the book, for a change, I really loved the Anna Karenina (2012) movie too. I highly recommend you watching it.
P.S: There is another parallel storyline (Levin and Kitty) to the book which I have not covered here.
That’s all for now!
Have you read Anna Karenina? Do you like or loathe Anna for the choices she made? Let me know.
I hope you’ll drop by tomorrow too.
If you ant to buy this beautiful Penguin cloth-bound edition of the book, here it is!
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My theme for the A to Z Challenge this year is ‘Celebrating the Bibliophile in me’, where I would share the books, authors and fictional characters that I love, loathe and tolerate.
Ah, there could be more!
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not a book I’ve read, T. the size for the genre has always put me off it. but will give it a try sometime 🙂 your post makes me want to
V recently posted…And Then There Were None – #AtoZChallenge
Haha! I know right! It’s definitely a tough read and as much as I want to re-read the book, I know I won’t be able to do that anytime soon!
Ideally, I should not have read this article as I haven’t read Anna Karenina before and now since I know it is going to be a tragic end I would possibly not read it ever, though maybe I should for experiencing she character as well as for the poetic language of Tolstoy. I know not what I should do.
Namratha recently posted…A for A.K.Ramanujan, my poem: Phantom, me – #AtoZChallenge #BlogchatterA2Z
Oh you definitely should read this book, Namratha 🙂
Fantastic review!
I haven’t read Anna Karenina and honestly it’s unlikely that I will (I’ve discovered long ago that I dont’ ahve an affinity with Russian writers), but your hearthfelt review might do the trick.
JazzFeathers recently posted…Thursday Quotables – The Golden Grave
This book has been on my massive list of classics that I should read someday but just haven’t sat down and read. I will admit that I tend to stick to sappy love stories and dystopian novels where the human race miraculously manages to survive the end of the world LOL. Great start to the month! I’m eager to see where the rest of April takes you 🙂
Megan | Ginger Mom and Company recently posted…Books on My Spring 2019 TBR | #T10T
Tolstoy definitely makes you work for it but so so worth it! I love everything he wrote, he always take me to his world, suffering with his characters, trapped in one decision or another. So glad you wrote about it!
Andrea recently posted…Alter ego vs authencity
I have not read the book, but I have watched the movie and I really loved it. And the story is way ahead of the times as you say. A free-spirited woman who finds her stifled by societal pressures. Unable to free herself from bondage. Really hats off to Tolstoy’s imagination. I always find books bring out certain feelings and emotions better than movies can. I do intend to read the book some time or other.
Sitharaam Jayakumar recently posted…A is for Viswanathan (A)nand the lad from Tamil Nadu who could check mate the best – #AtoZChallenge #BlogchatterAtoZ
Both my parents love this book and I have seen them spend hours discussing it. I am yet to read it though!
I have this book for over a decade now, haven’t read it yet. Your post on it, and teh beautiful quotes you shared, have tempted me to attempt a read.
Lovely round up of Anna Karenina and why you love this novel. All the best for the A to Z challenge.
Kalpanaa recently posted…Assistance #AtoZchallenge
This is my favorite book. I love the way her character has been depicted by the author and when I first read it in college days, I felt as though she is a real living person right next to me
I tried reading Anna Karenina, but couldn’t proceed after a few chapters. I am sorry, but I can’t see myself picking this book again–sorry, because this is your fav book! Thanks for the story, though! 😛
Hehehe. I know it is a tough read, Shilpa. But watch the movie then? This is one book who movie adaptation I loved.
I’m visiting your blog after sooooo long, love this new look. Very neat & organized. Hopefully, I’ll stick around in the blogosphere this time! 😛
I haven’t read this book yet, though I did try it long ago, during school or college days, I think. I get too involved emotionally in such stories, and then I get depressed. So I try to avoid them. Books like this one, they have such life-like characters na… “humans” as you said.
Anyway, do drop by sometime on my post for today too! See ya tomorrow.
Kaddu recently posted…Acceptance Is The Key to Happiness ~ #MindfulMonday #atozchallenge @AprilA2Z
Yippe!! Thank you very much. I did drop by your blog, Chikki 🙂
I have heard of this book, but have never come across it. Thanks for the wonderful review, Shalini. You make me want to read it. Have added it to my TBR and will make it a point to read it this year. 😀
Thank you, Mam. You must definitely read this one. I’m sure you’d love it! 🙂
I loved Anna Karenina as you said in outer if people see its about a women going after her dream ridiculing the society but on deeper level it has so many layers to her character, her self doubt, her jealousy , her intense love that made her do what she did, to read this book you need to go with an open mind and accept the story as it unfolds it front of you. I haven’t seen the movie but its been long on my list.
Thanks a lot. I agree that the book is not everyone’s cup of tea 🙂
Interesting review, didn’t know about the book earlier. Will check out.
Thank you. You must definitely try to read this one:)
I haven’t read it but your description definitely persuades me to pick this one up – though 1000 pages are too much 😀
Haha! I hope you get to read this one soon.
Shalini R recently posted…Why Anna Karenina has my Heart
great book, 1000 pages are just like a weekend gateway. i will surely read this book.
Amazing! Do share your views after reading.
Oh wow. I want to read this. That’s a lovely review.
I have heard so much about this book! I’ve wanted to read it for some time now but I have kept putting it off because of the patience it would take to finish this. Looking forward to reading about your choice of books.
Reema D’souza recently posted…Abendot
A huge book worm and not read this one! What a shame. Thanks for this, she sounds like someone I would like. Like Elizabeth, Emma, Scarlett, Catherine….the flawed and the beautiful ❤ .
Akanksha Maulik recently posted…Age of Money
This book is really huge but so worth it! I love Anna Karenina too and I did love Karenin as well. Something about him was so mysterious and edgy.
This is such a well written book and a carefully etched out character. I haven’t watched the movie yet, will get to it soon.
Soumya recently posted…A: Amal Clooney #AToZChallenge
i’m actually a fan of KARENIN. 😮 But good choice of quotes!!
Joy at http://www.thejoyousliving.com
joy recently posted…A2Z: Aspects of Love
I haven’t had a chance to read Anna Karenina yet. Your description though has got me interested in reading it. This one is now going to my Amazon wish-list. Will keep a watch on what else you have in store….
I loved this post Shalini! I’ve always found Anna Karenina too dauntinh to read, but I felt like I was reading the book with you through this post.
Hi Shalini, I found your blog through Vina Leo R. from artofleo.com. I am doing the AtoZ challenge as well so Hi! I would have liked to finish reading Anna Karenina but alas, the book is just sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, eventually. Nice review and I like reading your thoughts about it.
Jackie recently posted…A is for All Men Die in A Song of Ice and Fire
I haven’t read any of her books. In fact, this is the first time I read about her. I should extend my reading horizon! Thanks for the intro 🙂
I’ve heard so many mixed thoughts on this book. I know I should probably try it for myself, but there just doesn’t seem to be enough going on to hold my attention for 1,000 pages.
Debbie
Read it a long time back. Tough read. But I did finish it. So I must have liked it.
It’s really goof to read about such an amazing writer
I read the horribly dated Maude translation some years back. They even “translate” all the names (like calling Kitty “Kate” after Levin realises she’s a mature woman, as though English readers would find the name Katya way too confusing and foreign), refuse to use superdiminutives (e.g., Katyenka, Dolyenka) in the original text, and use lots of other decidedly non-Russian names that weren’t in the original.
I personally never felt like Vronskiy is that sympathetic, and I wanted more exploration of why either of them entered into this taboo affair. I was never convinced of this so-called love story, since my translation at least didn’t deeply delve into their motivations. The age difference between Levin and Kitty also grossed me out, as well as how Kitty later tries to set up her 20-year-old friend Varyenka with Levin’s 40-year-old halfbrother Sergey. A bunch of other stuff also annoyed me or felt pointless, though overall I did enjoy the book.
Carrie-Anne recently posted…John Bunny
I am happy to know about Anna, thanks for introducing to us, shall add in my reading list.